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Pakistan suspends police over protest clashes

01 Oct 2007 10:26:14 GMT
Source: Reuters

ISLAMABAD, Oct 1 (Reuters) - The Pakistani government suspended two senior policemen and a top city official in the capital, Islamabad, on Monday over weekend disturbances when police beat protesters outside the Election Commission.

More than a dozen lawyers, several journalists and a cabinet minister were injured in clashes on Saturday outside the commission, where military president Pervez Musharraf's nomination was accepted for an Oct. 6 vote which is expected to secure him a fresh term.

Police launched a baton charge and fired tear gas to disperse black-suited lawyers, who have been at the vanguard of a pro-democracy movement, marching on the commission to demand it reject Musharraf's nomination.

Journalists covering the protest said police had also beaten them. Angry reporters later roughed up the deputy information minister.

Earlier on Monday the Supreme Court, which was investigating the violence, had called for the city police chief, his deputy and the city's deputy administrator to be suspended.

Interior Ministry secretary Kamal Shah later told the court the three had indeed been suspended.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry also ordered contempt proceedings against the two suspended policemen and another top administration official over the firing of tear gas canisters which fell into the Supreme Court compound.

"It has been proved that the situation was handled indecently," Chaudhry told the court.

The Supreme Court lies across an avenue from the Election Commission.

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Last updated:Mon Oct 1 10:26:13 2007